Intro and my Greddy install
 

Hello All,

I haven't posted on here much, but I've definitely been reading and doing my homework for the past few months. Thanks to all of the contributors of this site, the information that I found here was invaluable.

I am new to the Miata scene, but not to playing with cars. Over the last 9 years or so, I've been pretty heavy into the Mitsubishis and DSMs. I currently own a 1991 Eagle Talon Tsi AWD Turbo and a 1989 Mitsubishi Mirage with a 4G63 swap. (Read all about it at www.TurboMirage.com ) I've also owned a 1991 Eclipse Turbo, 1989 Starion (swapped a 4G63 in that) and a 2003 Lancer Evolution. All of those cars have been tons of fun and have taught me many new things about cars, how to work on them and how to get the performance results that you want by following a well thought out plan with a strict budget.

When spring rolled around this year, I felt like it was time to try something completely new and different with the 'ole car hobby. I wanted a lightweight, reliable sports car that wouldn't break the bank and one car fit the bill more than any other. The Mazda Miata!

I began seriously searching a few months ago, but kept finding the same stuff. "Nice" cars, but with some major quirk that would turn me away. For example, I looked at a great 1991, low mileage, one owner, but the lady let her cat sleep in it every night. I opened the door to take it for a drive and was practically knocked out! The freaking car smelled like a dirty litter box inside! Bummer. I think she thought I was nuts, but I couldn't stomach it.

I looked at a handful of cars with the same result each time. Mostly good but with a major quirk or two that pushed me away.

Just when I was starting to lose faith I came across a gem! I called immediately, went to see it later that evening, and picked it up a couple days later. I've never seen myself as a yellow car guy, but for some reason, it just looks right on a Miata. That and the fact that this was a rare beast with the factory hardtop.

This particular car was owned by a lady who had pampered it from day one. She was a great owner, keeping track of all the maintenance and even threw in the stock wheels/tires, stereo, car cover, tonneau cover and a few other parts. The car currently has a littler over 73,000 miles, is in superb condition inside and out.

Anywho, in the coming days I'll be updating this thread with pics and notes from my Greddy install for those that care to look.

Thanks for reading!

-Tom

Here's the car when I first brought it home:

http://turbomirage.com/miata/2007_06/IMG_3203.jpg

http://turbomirage.com/miata/2007_06/IMG_3205.jpg

http://turbomirage.com/miata/2007_06/IMG_3209.jpg

http://turbomirage.com/miata/2007_06/IMG_3211.jpg

mmm pretty. Nikon dSLR?

thats pretty nice. is that original paint? looks like its in pretty damn good shape.

Damn, looks sharp man. Good luck on the install, and keep us updated!

Dont forget to ask questions, the members on this forum are some of the most helpful ive ever met.

good to see you made it here! (i'm your mother on SCF)

Damn... almost gone blind with the bright Yellow! hahaha

Great looking J-limited?

dAMN,LOOKS pretty nice..was never a fan of yellow but yours
looks bad ass.

Thanks for the comments fellas! I didn't ever think of myself as a yellow car guy, but I like it on this car. The paint is all original, and the owner took excellent care of it. Braineack: These pics were taken with a little old Canon powershot A95.

I've been collecting parts for some time and finally had everything I needed to start the install yesterday. Prior to then, I did all of the stuff that the forum taught me, like cutting the Greddy manifold, getting better bolts, etc.

One hurdle that I had to face was the header that the original owner's husband installed. When he installed it, he removed the cat and had a straight pipe bent and welded between the header and the rest of the exhaust. This was fine, but there were exhaust leaks all around the welds, which made the exhaust whistle, pop and make other unpleasant noises.

http://turbomirage.com/miata/2007_07/IMG_3244.jpg

Due to this I was forced to modify the Greddy downpipe. While I was going to do that, I figured it would be a great time to fab up a 2.5" exhaust also. Here are the parts that I got together for the install. That pipe on the far left is the factory "mid pipe" from an Evo 8. I think I may use at least the first part and the resonator since its 2.5" and has a nice flange on the end.

http://turbomirage.com/miata/2007_07/IMG_3245.jpg

Before I started on the exhaust, I wanted to get the header out of there. Here's a shot of the header gone and the oil feed line installed. I also installed some new NGK plug wires as the no-name yellow ones that were on the car didn't even fit into the wells correctly.

http://turbomirage.com/miata/2007_07/IMG_3239.jpg

After looking at (and being unimpressed with) the length and routing of the stock Greddy oil drain hose, I decided to tap the pan. I hunted around and was able to find a 3/8" NPT to 5/8" hose end fitting from NAPA. I also picked up a 3/8" NPT tap and 37/64" drill bit. The job wasn't too bad, but I did lower the steering rack and let it hang by the tie rod ends. This allowed me to get a straight shot at the pan. All told, the job went smoothly. I'll post a pic of the fitting in the pan later.

http://turbomirage.com/miata/2007_07/IMG_3240.jpg

Here's a shot of the turbo mounted. For those with keen eyes, you'll see that I chose not to use the Greddy oil drain fitting. Being a hardcore Mitsu-head, I had an oil return line from a DSM lying around that I never used. I used the top part of it to bolt to the turbo and cut off the other flanged end and mated it with the 5/8 oil drain hose. I liked this because it got the hose away from the hot turbo and with the flex-section in the tube, I could angle things how I wanted them.

http://turbomirage.com/miata/2007_07/IMG_3243.jpg

This also came via UPS yesterday. I'm not sure if I'm going to install this right off the bat, but I wanted to have it to start taking measurements and look at pipe routing options.

http://turbomirage.com/miata/2007_07/IMG_3246.jpg

Next time I'll cover more on the downpipe modification and exhaust fab/install. Thanks for reading!

How much did that heater hose fitting cost ya?

I remember when my greddy kit was still that clean....how much did you pay for the car?

slidin'Miata916: The fitting was $5.69 at NAPA.

KPLAFIN: I got an unbelievable deal on this car. It was about the same price as other 90-93 Miatas were going for here.

-Tom

That is a great looking car and with the hard-top to boot. Nice. I wish I had taken more time to find one that clean.

great thread...lets see some more updates!

wow your car is unbelievable! Score on a great find!

Thanks again for the comments fellas. Made a little more progress this weekend, but not much due to a crazy work schedule as of late.

Here's a shot of the Greddy downpipe with a few modifications. As mentioned above, there was no cat on this car, so in order to better accommodate the transition to 2.5" pipe, I changed the angle of the outlet and welded in a 2.5" adapter. I also wrapped it to try and keep the heat down to a minimum.

http://turbomirage.com/miata/2007_07/IMG_3304.jpg

Here's the finished downpipe with the flex section and 2.5" flange welded in. The pictures do it no justice, but it's tucked up in there good with plenty of clearance all around.

http://turbomirage.com/miata/2007_07/IMG_3309.jpg

I know that I mentioned above that I may wait and install the intercooler, but given my experience, I just couldn't imagine not doing this while I had the chance. Here's a shot of it in position (more or less) while I fab up some brackets.

http://turbomirage.com/miata/2007_07/IMG_3305.jpg

Here's another shot of it in position. I trimmed a little bit off of one side of the hood latch support in order to get this puppy tucked up inside the nose.

http://turbomirage.com/miata/2007_07/IMG_3306.jpg

I've dealt with some tight engine bays, but space is a premium in these cars with air conditioning and power steering. I needed to see some daylight in order to start running the hot side piping, so I removed the driver's side cooling fan and p.s. reservoir. I may relocate the reservoir, but I'm not sure yet. I'll probably end up going with a slimmer aftermarket cooling fan also.

http://turbomirage.com/miata/2007_07/IMG_3308.jpg

Until next time!

Looks great, but why not just get a turbo tony DP or build yourself a full 2.5" DP instead of modding the little greddy one?

I actually planned to get the Begi downpipe last week, but found out that it may take a few weeks (or more) to get one due to a problem with their first batch. Due to that, I decided to go this route for now. This winter I'll either make my own 2.5" or buy the Begi.

Good to see you posting, Tom. Looks like you're moving along quite nicely. Guys, Tom is being modest about the time it's taken him to do all this, I talked to him on the phone 3-4 weeks ago and he hadn't even picked up the car yet.

Well first welcome to the board and nice list of cars. I miss my 95 TSI AWD sometimes but the miata is just so much fun.

I like the updates on the greddy project. Question, could you take a photo of the oil drain line? I plan to install a 14B turbo I still have on my 91 and I still have a brand new oil drain line that I could mod to save a few bucks.

Thanks

Looking very good man. You are documenting this very well. Hopefully everything goes well for you, and plan on engine management, like the megasquirt in your very near future.

Hello All,

Here's the latest! I had to travel for work all last week, but found a couple hours yesterday and today to knock out a few more items.

Here's a picture of the fan I ordered from Summit Racing compared to the stock fan. Replacing the fan wasn't 100% necessary, but it sure did free up room to install the hot side turbo piping.
http://turbomirage.com/miata/2007_07/IMG_3313.jpg

Below are the upper brackets that I made to mount the intercooler. They are pretty simple, but strong.
http://turbomirage.com/miata/2007_07/IMG_3314.jpg

The intercooler mounted. You can see the passenger side bracket, but the driver's side is barely noticeable. I used two holes that were already in the factory core support. It's like Mazda stuck 'em in there for this purpose. To get to the bolts, I loosened the four 10mm bolts that hold the condenser in place.
http://turbomirage.com/miata/2007_07/IMG_3360.jpg

Here's the intercooler piping after being welded up and painted. I've done this on a few cars and found the Miata to be fairly simple. I re-used a 1G DSM blow off valve and flange that I had lying around from another project. The section of hose is Napa truck radiator hose. It is 2.5" and is very tough. It comes in a variety of bends and is affordable compared to the same part in silicone.
http://turbomirage.com/miata/2007_07/IMG_3348.jpg

Pic of the intercooler piping being test-fitted. You can see how much room is freed up from the slimmer cooling fan. I didn't have to relocate the power steering reservoir thanks to using 2" piping on the hot side.
http://turbomirage.com/miata/2007_07/IMG_3352.jpg

Pic of the engine bay with the turbo re-clocked and all intercooler piping installed. the lovely orange couplers will be replaced with black ones soon, they're all I had on hand at the time.

Also, I had accidentally overlooked the small throttle body bypass hose, so I welded a little section of pipe to the IC pipe that leads to the throttle body. Also, the blow off valve will be plumbed back into the intake, I just haven't got around to that yet.
http://turbomirage.com/miata/2007_07/IMG_3358.jpg

Intercooler mounted! I was thrilled that the front end didn't have to be removed for this install. Overall I am happy with how it came out. I'll probably paint the clamps black so they aren't as noticeable. I still need to modify and install the stock plastic under trays, which will require a little trimming here and there.
http://turbomirage.com/miata/2007_07/IMG_3359.jpg

The last thing I took care of today was the Vortech FMU. This was a piece of cake. I still have to plumb the vacuum lines to it and the boost gauge.
http://turbomirage.com/miata/2007_07/IMG_3362.jpg


My "to-do" list is getting shorter! Next time I'll finish up the exhaust and fab up an intake setup.

Thanks again for the comments and support!

-Tom

Looking great dude! :bigtu:

Vash-

coming along well. Looks like the same intercooler I have.

hi
 

hi

Hello :D

WOOW... That is one Great way to get some room to fit those intercooler pipings!

I had to remove my ac fan and PS belt to fit my IC piping haha.

is that a 'be cool' 12" fan? miata specific or universal ?

frieken sweet. I'm using the tony dp with no cat, and a factory evo 8 mid section. All you have to do it clock the flange at the dp and then just clock the part where the muffler did reside. Start it up, it sounds bad ass. IF you want you can actually make it come out either side.
Overall it looks like you're gonna have a nice set up. Really cleanly done. In every aspect.

Thanks again for all the comments and for checkin' out my updates! I am dying to get this thing back on the road, but between craziness at work and a new baby girl, there's not much time for toys these days. :hs:

shinobix: The fan I purchased was a Summit Racing brand universal. (SUM-G4902)
I was leaning toward a "be-cool" or similar name brand, but they were either too small or too large for the Miata. This one fits perfectly.

-Tom

Tom, I like your approach so far, to do the exhaust and I/C from the get-go. Are you planning to dyno it in that state?

Yeah, since you are already going for the IC and exhaust, it seems you won't be staying at 5psi for long... what are you going to do about fuel and spark?

your car is freakin sweet. Just curious though for the slim fan did you have to splice the wires or was it PNP?

I would like to dyno it as it sits now to get a feel for what kind of power it's putting out and what the curve looks like.

I don't plan on turning up the boost right off the bat, but I will be adding my DIY water/alchy injection kit before I start hammering on it as an extra measure of safety. On that note I am a HUGE fan of water/alchy injection, as I've been using it for about 6 years on my various turbo cars. Here's a link to my DIY water/alchy site

Also I'll most likely get a wideband (I have an extra 02 sensor bung welded in) and I'd like to have a knock sensor of some sort. I've been spoiled by DSMs and how easy it is to simply datalog and tune off of the knock sensor alone. I ran 24psi of boost on 93 octane with my stock 4G63 for 4 years and over 50k miles with NO problems. I attribute that to water/alchy injection and tuning by the knock sensor.

Ok, I'm rambling, I need to cut the chit-chat and get to weldin' :eek5:

I can see megasquirt in your future. The megasquirt along with a knock sensor is going to be the cheapest way of getting fuel/ignition management. That is the route that I am going to go and the route that a lot of people on here have gone also. The project is coming together very nicely though. A+++.

Yeah, me too. The plug and play version looks like a great setup. I've been reading everything I can about it.

Very impressive. One more miata out kicking ass.

underdog,
please go ahead and order a downpipe from TT or BEGi. My TT install was a PITA. Had to take the turbo off to get the DP up. Do it once, do it right!! The difference in spool and power is un-friggin-believable with the 2.5" dp over the craptastic greddy pipe.

The greddy wastegate can also sucks balls. Lots of people have gotten away with installing helper springs. But you should consider throwing it away and ordering a quality can. Otherwise boost control is going to suck! They have terrible spike then boost drop problems. My boost solenoid duty cycles are like 98% at high rpm, trying to keep that fucker boosting at 13 psi!

Otherwise lookin good dude.

PS, I used a lot of !!!'s in this post for no reason.

Ben

krayzrac3r: The fan isn't plug and play. I clipped the plug off of the stock fan and used it so that it is plug and play.

RotaryJunky: Thanks!

Ben: I would get a 2.5" D.P. from the get-go, but at this point, the weather is incredible here and I need to get this car back on the road! The upgrade will have to wait until this winter. As for the wastegate, I'm not surprised at all and thanks for the tip.

On to the update! I'm getting VERY close to firing this thing up! Today I was able to find some time and hammered out the exhaust system. As seen in previous posts, my modified downpipe was finished, I just needed to fab up the rest of the system.

It was a perfect day for doing some welding. Unseasonably cool and low humidity made it much nicer to work outside. Here's my setup. It's simple, but I highly recommend a Lincoln if you want a good entry level welder.
http://turbomirage.com/miata/2007_07/IMG_3366.jpg

I was really flying on this thing, so I didn't take a bunch of pictures throughout the process. Here's a pic of the system finished and waiting for paint. Don't you love my exhaust stand/empty cat tree box?
http://turbomirage.com/miata/2007_07/IMG_3368.jpg

Here's a shot of the exhaust all finished with a coat of dupli-color low gloss black engine enamel. I always spray my exhaust systems with this to avoid any rust and to make it blend in under the car. For paint out of a can, this stuff is tough and durable. You can also see that I was able to use all of the factory hanger points.
http://turbomirage.com/miata/2007_07/IMG_3370.jpg

Done! Being able to drop that little brace on the rear is key. In fact, I'd like to hug the Mazda engineer who made that a bolt-in piece. As you can see, the system tucks up in there pretty good and the tip is just a good old piece-o-pipe.
http://turbomirage.com/miata/2007_07/IMG_3376.jpg

Another shot of the tip. Stealthy, no? :bigtu:
http://turbomirage.com/miata/2007_07/IMG_3377.jpg\

The last thing I did today was whip up a 3" intake pipe out of some pieces I had from a car that I sold. I welded them up and put in a BOV recirc port and nipple for the valve cover vent. The intake isn't complete here, but it should be done tomorrow. On the BOV return, that is a stock return hose from a DSM with another small extension on the end. It's almost like it was made for this car!
http://turbomirage.com/miata/2007_07/IMG_3381.jpg

Gettin there!

-Tom

Looks good man. You weld better than I do. Do you have a pipe expander? When I welded up my cat back I had to take my pipes to a local exhaust shop to have an adapter made for me. Then I (horribly) welded everything up myself.

My intake temps were really really hot with the airfilter positioned by the firewall like that. Don't recall the exacts, but I got someting like a 20F drop in intake temp when I moved the filter as far forward as possible. Look in the vbgarage at a pic of olderguy's install to get a visual.

You're also going to want a heatshield over your turbo. An old license plate works great, if you don't have any aluminum and a rivet gun.

Ben

exhaust looks good. whens the MS goin in? :D

It's alive!

http://turbomirage.com/miata/2007_07/IMG_3382.jpg

Here's a short video of what the exhaust sounds like. I plan to get some better video soon, this was filmed with my camera. The exhaust sounds so much better than I imagined! It's sporty, but not loud or raspy at all. I'm very pleased with it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNdez_4Y8b0

I still have some things to do in the short term, (install water injection, heatshield, wideband, 02 clamp, etc) but it's to a point where I can drive it easy and break it in for the next few weeks while I tackle each one of these items. Heck, I've even got a full tank of 87 octane that I need to run out.

Thanks again for the suggestions. I am calling this phase 1 and will be developing my plan for more boost and fuel.

Here are a couple pics of the engine bay. I haven't had time to actually detail things under here, so it's still pretty filthy. I hope to get it shined up in the coming weeks.

http://turbomirage.com/miata/2007_07/IMG_3384.jpg


http://turbomirage.com/miata/2007_07/IMG_3386.jpg


http://turbomirage.com/miata/2007_07/IMG_3389.jpg

omg, that paint is rediculously clean. i love it.

Ok...time for you to add a page to your turbomirage site for the miata.

Tom, thanks for posting the Magnaflow sound clip! I'm thinking of getting a better exhaust for my '90 Miata. I had a custom Magnaflow system on my SR powered 240sx, but had to add a resonator and flex pipe later. Did you have a resonator on yours? -ah never mind, you do - from a Evo.

first time seeing this thread tonight, looked through it all and it looks like you do clean work on your car and I can tell that it is not your first time welding and installing craps on a car. I am sure that you will be pleased with your final product and even at 5 psi, the miata really comes alive ... shoot im running 10psi and i am completely satisfied.

Thanks guys!

Tremiata: Yes! I do need to add a Miata section of my Website. I gotta get off my butt and do that.

weitau: No problem! I've beend driving the car and the sound of this exhaust is perfect for my tastes. Nice and quiet while cruising but sporty at the same time. There is no resonator in the system. I had originally planned on it, but space was a little tight, so I decided to try it without. I'm glad I did, it sounds great. I've got Magnaflows on both of my 4G63 powered cars and love the sound of those also.

akaryrye: Thanks! I've definitely enjoyed working on this car and have enjoyed the support from all of the Miata folks. I notice the power improvement just driving around back roads, and I'm loving it already.

How's the car running with just the FMU? Are you planning on getting a different engine management setup?

[QUOTE=underdog;131578]Hello All,

The section of hose is Napa truck radiator hose. It is 2.5" and is very tough. It comes in a variety of bends and is affordable compared to the same part in silicone.
http://turbomirage.com/miata/2007_07/IMG_3348.jpg


Hey Tom, what exactly are you using that truck radiator hose for?

Thanx
Phil
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I had to look twice but in this pic you can see it's the piece between the "U" coming off the outlet of the FMIC and before the TB Inlet/BOV section.
http://turbomirage.com/miata/2007_07/IMG_3352.jpg

B16AEJ1: I wasn't able to drive the car much last week, but finally ran the full tank of 87 octane gas out of it today. That and I finished my water/alcohol injection install over the weekend. I plan on getting a wideband before I run the car hard, so I'll have more info after I get that installed.

levnubhin: As Josh posted, I used that rubber section to connect from the "U" from the outlet of the intercooler to the small TB inlet pipe. I could've done steel piping here, but wanted a little flexibility.

Also, I got one of the black turbo blankets from Alamo and love it! It is far easier than trying to rig up a heat shield, and it does a great job of keeping the heat contained. I just made a slit in it for the wastegate rod to pass through.

More to come!

-Tom

Hey, your car looks amazing! You have done a super nice job, I shall now aspire to make my car as clean as yours.

How much welding experience do you have? I really want to fab up an exhaust like yours using a friend's welder, but have honestly only welded once in my life.

That's some neat looking pipework in your engine bay:bigtu:

Just shows what CAN be done with a little time & know how.

+1 for radiator hose technology :D

Congrats on the purchase of the car. That is a very clean and collectable Miata. Your installation looks very clean also. You do very good work.

I might suggest adding a heat shield for the brake master cylinder and also for the underside of your hood. I used a double insulated shiny aluminum cookie sheet from Walmart attached to the ribs on the underside of the hood with very short sheet metal screws. It will keep the turbo from bubbling up that pretty yellow paint on the outside. :)

Keep up the good work. This is a very nice example of how to install a Greddy kit right the first time with a few choice additions.

That is good advice--heat made my silver hood turn a chaulky gray-white in the area directly over the turbo, before I added a heat shield.

Thanks again for the questions, comments and support everyone! I really do appreciate it.

92Black&Tan & Ben: I got one of the turbo blankets (as seen here) from Alamo. It completely wraps around the turbine housing and does an excellent job of containing the heat. I think it’s more effective than a heat shield, although I’ll probably still do something on the underside of the hood as a preventative measure.

magnamx-5 & jim-NA: Napa truck radiator hose is the stuff! The straight sections of it that they sell are bomb-proof. Overall, the piping on this car was very simple to route.

speedf50: I’ve been welding for about 4 years. I started off by learning from a friend who is a professional welder. That and the video that came with my welder taught me quite a bit. All of that is useless without getting plenty of practice though. Just start welding stuff to other stuff. :-) Welding is half of the equation in building stuff. I think patience and a knack for fabrication are more important.